Dancing on the ceiling

19Jul11

When you were a kid, did you ever stare at the ceiling trying to fall asleep at night? My parents had that old stucco prickly kind (sorry, the best way I could describe it) and I used to imagine them similar to stars and try to figure out any formation of design.

I came across Japanese designer Takeshi Sano, an Interior Designer based out of Japan. Sano created a ceiling design, using thousands of wooden sticks (up to 25,000!!) for Tsujita restaurant in Los Angeles, California (found via Contemporist.com). His designs reminded me of the old ‘pinface’ toy you used to see in novelty shops…but Sano’s designs are far from novelty. Here, the designer creates a scenic ‘cloud-like’ view above for the patrons of the establishment. The use of wooden sticks in conjunction to the space give off a natural, clean environment feeling. An environment where a patron can feel they are one with nature in a simplistic form.

From the designer:

I put image of clouds for the ceiling detail. There is IZUMO shrine, one of the most important shrine in Shimane Japan. The clouds we can see there, has beauty but mysterious image. I wanted to show those images on this design. I put 25000 of wooden sticks, which was shaped like drum stick on the ceiling.

In order to increase a reality of clouds, I calculate the focal length between eye line and wooden sticks and use that length for the stick length. Also I made difference on the distance between stick each other so that to make a stereoscopic effect to wooden cloud. Not only for this project. I’m always challenging to create a space that coexist art and interior. At the same time, I’d like people to feel the delicate of beauty, which Japanese have, and Japanese atmosphere when they visit here so that they will think that they want to visit Japan. I’d like to make this restaurant as one of an element for Japanese reconstruction.